The entire northern section of the Corridor 5C transport route crossing Bosnia-Herzegovina, stretching from the Croatian border to Sarajevo, could be completed by the end of 2026, according to the motorway operator owned by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is responsible for most of the project.
Corridor 5C is designed to connect Budapest with the Croatian port of Ploče, providing a strategic north–south transport link through Central and Southeast Europe. The motorway section running through Bosnia-Herzegovina is 337 kilometres long, but construction, which began in 2001, has progressed slowly, with only about 140 kilometres completed over more than two decades.
The project has been affected by organizational difficulties, major delays, repeated cost increases and corruption-related allegations. According to the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz, the current management of the motorway company is under investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The operator said it now has a clear plan to complete all motorway sections currently under construction by the end of 2026. This would allow uninterrupted motorway travel from the Bradina area, roughly halfway between Sarajevo and Konjic, to the Svilaj border crossing with Croatia.
Financial reports are expected to be finalized by the end of February. Based on preliminary data, the company spent nearly 858.5 million marks (around 169 billion forints) in 2025 on the development of Corridor 5C, expressways within the Federation, and related investments.
Construction is currently under way at seven locations along the Bosnian section of Corridor 5C, with a combined value exceeding 1.92 billion marks. In addition, four expressway sections are being built at a total cost of 424.8 million marks. For 2026, the company plans investments worth 1.206 billion marks, of which 1.144 billion would be allocated directly to motorway and expressway construction and technical supervision.
Completion of the entire motorway, including the southern Herzegovina section, will take longer. The stretch from Mostar toward the Croatian border and the Adriatic Sea is particularly challenging due to mountainous terrain. Plans include a tunnel beneath the Prenj mountain range, just over ten kilometres long, which would significantly reduce travel time between Sarajevo and Mostar. The optimal construction period for the tunnel is estimated at six years, but work has not yet begun.
The Croatian section of Corridor 5C was built between 2005 and 2025. The Osijek–Beli Manastir motorway opened in 2022, while the final five-kilometre stretch to the Hungarian border was inaugurated on 6 October 2025. The Svilaj bridge over the Sava River, linking Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, was completed in 2021.
On the Hungarian side, the M6 motorway has already reached the Croatian border, ensuring uninterrupted motorway travel between Budapest and Osijek.
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